More than 5000 entries on the history, culture and life of Britain (published in 1993 by Macmillan, now out of print)

William Kent

(c.1685–1748)Painter, architect, furniture designer and landscape gardener. Painting was his first profession (the murals at *Kensington Palace are his main work in this field). While studying in Italy (1709–19) he met Lord *Burlington, who became his life-long patron and turned his interests towards architecture in the Palladian style. One of his earliest projects with Burlington was *Chiswick House, where he was responsible for the interior decoration and the garden.

His skill in these two fields is best seen in the interiors of *Houghton Hall and *Holkham Hall and in the revolutionary landscape garden at *Stowe. He was cheerfully eclectic in style and his furniture is much more heavily baroque than true Palladian principles should allow. In the National Maritime Museum at Greenwich there is a state barge designed by him, lavishly ornamented and gilded.